“I’m just a part of the whole”, sings Peter Gabriel with his velvet voice in the chorus of “I/O”, the song that gives the title to the new album, which arrived more than 20 years after the previous one. The interconnection between living beings is one of the central themes of a work in which the 73-year-old British singer-songwriter reflects on the passing of time, on love, on tolerance, on life as a whole.
Are we today more interconnected or more focused on ourselves?
«The Internet and social media allow us to stay connected, but they also ask for our attention to earn money. But that feeling that some people feel right before they die or when they take drugs or meditate gives us the idea that there is something much bigger than what we see in everyday life. We are small atoms in a single system, we should remember that.”
It would also be useful to keep this in mind for the climate crisis. Will we overcome it?
“There is no point in being pessimistic because then you might as well give up. Seeing people who want to change things for the better has a positive influence and I want to surround myself with this type of people.”
Looking at ongoing conflicts, do you see people fighting for change?
«There are them in many areas. However, if we look at Israel and Palestine, an agreement will necessarily have to be reached, otherwise the massacre will continue. I have supported Palestine for a long time because it has suffered enormous oppression, but what happened to the Israelis was brutal and shocking. It will only end when people sit down at a table and talk.”
The passing of time is very present in the album. What have you learned as you’ve gotten older?
“That you run less fast and learn to say no to people more. Maybe you even learn to be yourself more. Then if we look at the progress of biomedicine, longevity is one of the most interesting areas. Perhaps we are entering a different world and if we survive the climate crisis we will have to try to build a generous and fair society for everyone.”
Are you also thinking about Artificial Intelligence?
“When it becomes more intelligent than men there will be extraordinary possibilities to change the world, I hope for the better, but it will be up to us to understand how to use it: it can make us free or slaves.”
«And Still» is dedicated to his mother, who died 6 years ago. Was it difficult to write?
“Yes, it took me a while because I had so many mixed feelings. She loved me deeply, just as I loved her, so she needed a little distance for me to write something true.”
What memories do you have of your childhood?
“Christmas, the beach, lazy summer afternoons, riding the tractor with my father and working on our farm… So many good memories.”
Paolo Fresu played on one of the songs. How did you meet him?
«Someone sent me a beautiful jazz version of one of my songs, «What Lies Ahead». When I heard it I thought he would be a great musician to work with. I didn’t yet know that we had a common bond with Sardinia.”
Do you continue to go there?
“I love going there, it’s my second home and it makes me happy, especially when there aren’t too many tourists.”
Do you remember when you were a guest in Sanremo in 1983?
“I think I’m famous for the scene in which I threw myself into the audience with a rope, but then I risked hurting myself very much, crashing onto the stage: I know I made two thirds of Italy laugh.”
Last year he went to the last Genesis concert as a spectator.
“I went because Genesis was born when we were students and we worked hard to get things started, so I wanted to be there at the end, for the friends from many years ago. It was a mixture of sadness, warmth, friendship, even though it was no longer my band, but a different creature. We have a lot of history together and it was nice to be there.”
What were the early days like?
«I was the one who bothered the group: they weren’t all that aware that we had to pay the bills and find dates. There were two or three occasions where it didn’t look like we were going to be able to move forward, so the first success was great. We also have many good memories of Italy: we went there in the summer when there was no work in England. We played in discos, football fields, theatres, wherever they paid us.”
2023-12-04 22:02:41
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